Inside Australia’s Darkest Police Scandal: Abuse, Murder, and the Commissioner Who Covered It Up
A broken police force, a failed commissioner, and the survivors they tried to silence.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains names, images, and references to people who have passed away.
Content Warning
This article discusses police violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, suicide, systemic racism, and institutional betrayal. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Support Services:
13 YARN (13 92 76) — Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis line
Lifeline (13 11 14) — 24/7 crisis support
1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) — Family, domestic, and sexual violence support
Introduction
Australia’s largest police force promised change.
Instead, it protected perpetrators, buried the truth, and betrayed its most vulnerable communities.
Under Commissioner Karen Webb’s leadership, the New South Wales Police Force did not simply falter —
it rotted from within.
This is not just a story of institutional failure.
It is a story of betrayal at the highest levels of power.
A betrayal WRITTEN IN BLOOD, silence, and broken lives.
‘There's a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality.’ -Colin Kaepernick
Context: NSW Police Rot Before Karen Webb
Long before Karen Webb took office, the New South Wales Police Force was already battling deep-seated misconduct.
Between 2018 and 2020:
41 officers were charged with criminal offences
Over 90% were male officers
Many outcomes were concealed or remained unknown
In 2018 alone, 6 officers were found guilty of 14 separate domestic violence charges, yet only three had convictions formally recorded
This was not a force grappling with isolated misconduct.
It was a force NORMALISING VIOLENCE — AND HIDING THE TRUTH.
By the time Webb became Commissioner in February 2022, NSW Police wasn’t merely broken.
It was already rotting from the inside.
Karen Webb's appointment WAS meant to change that.
Then deputy Commissioner Webb said
‘‘My role is to build the organisation [so that] it is reflective of the community we serve.
So I look for to growing our diversity and our inclusion in the organisation.’’
Broken Promises: How Karen Webb Lied About Reform
Karen Webb was sworn in with a mandate for change.
She declared:
‘‘ I have zero tolerance to officer corruption and misconduct, especially involving child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence.’’ - Commissioner Karen Webb 2021
She also encouraged women to join the force, stating:
‘‘ I'm sure there’s a lot of other women out there that are contemplating it, and I’d say to them to come along and sign up.’’ -Commissioner Karen Webb 2021
She promised transparency, cultural change, and accountability.
But the promises quickly unravelled.
Under Webb’s leadership, NSW Police became defined by:
Shielding officers charged with domestic violence
Delays and failures in mandatory misconduct reporting
Failures to sanction officers involved in criminal behaviour
Systemic protection of abusers and silencing of whistleblowers
Neglect leading to the deaths of multiple police service animals
Behind the press conferences and staged photo opportunities, the culture of impunity only grew stronger.
A Culture of Abuse: Inside the NSW Police Rot
Early Warnings Ignored (2014–2020)
In December 2020, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) revealed:
A commander ("BKJ) bullied dozens of officers between 2014–2019
A senior constable was forced to "PROVE" her childhood sexual abuse to qualify for trauma leave
More than 15 officers resigned or were medically discharged
Despite clear warnings by 2016, NSW Police continued promoting known bullies.
Former Police Association Secretary Peter Remfrey later confirmed:
‘‘Bullies were protected, not punished.’’
This cruelty wasn’t an accident.
It was institutional policy — by omission, by silence, by design.
Systemic Collapse Under Webb (2022–2025)
Timeline of Institutional Failures
February 2022 — Jai Wright, a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy, dies after a collision with an unmarked police car. Sergeant Benedict Bryant charged two years later.
April 2022 — A NSW Police officer found guilty of inappropriate sexual touching of a restrained 15-year-old Aboriginal boy. No criminal charges laid.
August 2022 — A Detective sergeant is found dead inside Ermington Police Station. Death declared ‘non-suspicious’ within hours
September 2022 — Sergeant Justone Wong crashes an unmarked police vehicle into a bus at high speed in Llandilo, killing 76-year-old bus driver Andy Leonello. Wong was later convicted of dangerous driving causing death.
October 2022 — A probationary constable is arrested for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
May 2023 — Clare Nowland, 95 years old and living with dementia, is tasered inside her nursing home by a police officer. She dies days later. Commissioner Webb admits defending the officer without reviewing body-worn footage
October 2023 — Two NSW Police dogs — PD Xtra and DD Soldier — die inside a specialised police vehicle after a suspected mechanical failure. Despite alarms being triggered, handlers fail to respond
March 2024 — Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon uses his police-issued Glock to murder Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. NSW Police delays public acknowledgment for days
March 2025 — Police Dog Eddie, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois, is killed during operational deployment after being struck by a truck in a hit-and-run at Prestons.
March 2025 — An Aboriginal man riding an e-bike in Waterloo dies following a police pursuit. Body-worn footage is reportedly "not available.”
March 2025 — Former NSW Senior Constable Michelle Carlon exposes systemic corruption: including officers sharing crime-scene photos of deceased women and children for entertainment.
April 2025 — Political leaders and mainstream media continue shielding Commissioner Webb despite mounting scandals.
April 2025 - Sergeant Justone Wong, despite being convicted of dangerous driving causing death, is officially allowed to remain employed by NSW Police after a Section 181D review by Commissioner Karen Webb.
A Pattern Older Than Webb: The Ghost of Sallie-Anne Huckstepp
This isn’t new.
NSW Police has a long, bloodstained history of punishing those who speak out.
In 1986, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp — a whistleblower who exposed police corruption, drug trafficking, and brutality within the force — was found murdered, floating in a pond at Centennial Park.
Her death was no accident.
It was a message.
SPEAK THE TRUTH, AND YOU DISAPPEAR.
Four decades later, the tactics have changed —
but the culture remains.
Whistleblowers like Michelle Carlon face financial ruin, career destruction, and retaliation.
Survivors are silenced, not supported.
The institution still protects itself, not the people it swore to serve.
From Sallie-Anne to today, the message from inside NSW Police hasn’t changed:
( ‘THE POLICE PROTECT THE BADGE, NOT THE TRUTH.’ -Sallie-Anne Huckstepp)
Blood on Their Hands: When a Police Officer Became a Killer
Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was once celebrated at Mardi Gras.
In March 2024, he became a double murderer — using his police-issued firearm to end two lives.
Karen Webb remained silent for days.
When she finally spoke, it was scripted damage control.
The force’s failure wasn’t operational.
It was MORAL.
A 95-Year-Old Woman Tasered: The Death of Clare Nowland
Clare Nowland wasn’t a threat.
She was FRAIL, CONFUSED, and UNARMED.
Webb didn’t demand accountability.
She rushed to defend the officers involved — without even reviewing the critical body-cam evidence.
At a 2025 inquiry, it became brutally clear:
Karen Webb placed institutional reputation above human life.
The Whistleblower They Couldn't Silence: Michelle Carlon
On 31 March 2025, Underground Media Network broke the story of Senior Constable Michelle Carlon, who revealed:
Crime-scene images of deceased women and children circulated for entertainment
Sexual harassment normalised and ignored
Whistleblowers financially and professionally destroyed
Officers deliberately running over stray cats to emotionally distress animal rescue volunteers
Carlon’s courage forced mainstream media to follow — but only after “THIS INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST” exposed the truth first.
Media and Political Protection: How Power Shielded Corruption
Despite OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE, powerful figures circled the wagons:
Former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and current NSW Premier Chris Minns refused to intervene
Mainstream outlets prioritised maintaining police access over public truth
VICTIMS WERE ABANDONED, WHISTLEBLOWERS WERE SACRIFICED.
A Legacy of Failure: The Worst Commissioner in Decades
Karen Webb’s legacy:
Aboriginal teenager Jai Wright dead after a police crash
Probationary constable charged with sex crimes against a minor
Elderly woman Clare Nowland
tasered to death
Police officer commits double murder
Aboriginal civilian dies during police pursuit with no available body-worn footage
Three police dogs — PD Xtra, DD Soldier, and Eddie — dead due to negligence
Systematic protection of abusive officers
Systematic retaliation against survivors and whistleblowers
KAREN WEBB DIDN’T JUST FAIL.
She embodied the betrayal she promised to end.
Editor’s Note:
Underground Media Network reached out to Commissioner Karen Webb for comment.
NSW Police Media Unit confirmed the Commissioner would not be providing a response.
Conclusion
They Buried the Truth. We Dug It Up.
New South Wales Police didn’t lose its way —
it followed it.
It chose power over people.
Silence over justice.
Cruelty over humanity.
Under Karen Webb’s leadership, the cracks didn’t just widen.
They swallowed lives whole — Aboriginal children, elderly women, whistleblowers, the loyal, and the betrayed.
And when the politicians closed ranks,
when the media chose access over accountability,
when survivors were left screaming into an empty system —
UNDERGROUND MEDIA NETWORK LISTENED.
WE AMPLIFIED WHAT THEY TRIED TO ERASE.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THE TRUTH
‘Underground Media Network is survivor-led and fiercely independent.
We don’t censor.
We don't negotiate with the truth.
If it burns, it burns.’
“When those sworn to protect become the predators, the survivors be come the historians.” - By Unknown
THEY COUNT ON SILENCE.
Break it.
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© 2025 Landon Ashton Versace Germanotta-Mills & Underground Media Network
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